Mensen bij de toegangspoort van het Kasteel van Chantilly 1900

This is an albumen print of the Château de Chantilly entrance, made by Delizy. Although the date is unknown, the clothing of the visitors gives us a clue, suggesting that it was made around the late nineteenth century. Chantilly was rebuilt in the 1870s, after the original was destroyed in the French Revolution. It has become an important symbol of national heritage, drawing visitors and artists alike. The popularity of landscape views and the rise of tourism influenced its growth in the late 1800s. Tourism gave more people access to art and culture, and photography made images more widely available. Photographs like this provide a valuable record of a particular time, place, and culture. We historians can research the fashions of the day, the development of tourism, and the changing social and political status of the Château through close examination of visual evidence, and through consulting archives, guidebooks and other documentary sources. This helps us understand the values and beliefs of people from the past.